Her Fire

18 ~ To bestow a kiss...

“It was either that…or kiss you. And we both know how it would end if I do the latter.”

He glances at her before focusing on the road again. "How would it end? I'm just curious."

"Believe me, you don't want to know. It's better you don't."

He is quiet for a while, frowning at the road before glancing at her again. "May I ask why?"

She grins. "One kiss from me and you will never want to let me go."

He merely scoffs, the mate bond making him feel comfortable enough to tease her a little. "I already don't want to let you go. What difference would it make? More pain? I'm already in an ocean of hurt." He points out with a straight face, but there is a suspicious twinkle in his eyes, just so she knows he’s teasing her.

Deirdre narrows hers. "Are you telling me you want to..?"

He shrugs, trying to look nonchalant, even though he probably will be having a panic attack soon. What the hell is happening to him? Not even a day in her presence and he barely recognizes himself. He could only imagine a lifetime of being with her. Alas, it will soon be just a dream…

"Might as well get a taste of the forbidden fruit if I'm going to be punished and thrown out of the Garden of Eden anyway." He cringes a little, fearing that it made him sound like a veritable boring nerd.

Deirdre, on the other hand, bites back a smile that is threatening to show as she feels a little thrill from their awkward little flirting. Is it even flirting, she wonders? She's not really sure. But he’s hinting that he wants a kiss. And if she's going to be very honest with herself, she wants one too. She can't even remember the last time she has been properly smooched. Needless to say, she is starving for some…

Admittedly, she has been so busy with work that she and Mark haven't been intimate or even affectionate with each other for a very long time. Not that he's been a good kisser anyway. She was into it more for companionship than anything else.

A complete waste of time!

Anyway, David is not wrong. They might as well…

Hmmm… Maybe there's no harm in giving him something nice to remember…

What could go wrong? It's just kissing after all. There is no such thing as a kiss so perfect that it will change a mind as stubborn as hers. Not even that of her former fated mate did so why would a kiss with this one be any different?

Memories suddenly come flooding back, unwelcome and unsolicited, because even though she tries so hard not to remember, she is unsuccessful in forgetting the first kiss she had ever received, from the sky god Ouranos…

Continuation of the first time Deirdre and Ouranos met: (see chapter 7)

"Mate."

Deirdre's eyes widened in disbelief before she rolled them in annoyance. Of course, since time immemorial, it had always been an unwavering truth that the pursuit of evading one's fate often carried an ironic consequence—an increased likelihood of inevitably crossing paths with it.

The sky god was floating in midair, before landing gracefully before her. Oh, but he was such a beautiful creature! Tall and lean, with perfectly proportioned muscles, long hair that resembled spun moonlight, and mismatched eye colors that fascinated rather than repelled her - one clear blue like that of a perfect summer day and the other pitch black, same as that of the darkest of midnights without moon or stars. Too busy admiring his physical attributes, she didn't realize he was doing the same to her, with reluctant approval. All of a sudden, he reached out and grabbed her, pulling her close to him and such proximity made her senses run amok. He smelled like that strange scent in the air when one knew it was about to rain, mixed with the fragrance of sandalwood. It stunned her for a few seconds, enough for him to think she was compliant and he tipped her chin up with a finger before claiming her lips. Tears spilled from Deirdre’s eyes, but certainly NOT from happiness.

Her first kiss, ruined.

Taken unceremoniously, without her permission, and without even earning it first.

His lips might have tasted like the finest ambrosia but Deirdre could only remember the taste of blo0d when she bit him in anger, making him step back, cursing.

She had pushed him away by shifting into her fire form, glaring at him with utter hatred. “You dared to claim what I have not freely given to you! If our existences weren't bound by the mate bond, you’d be journeying to the Beyond, burnt beyond recognition. Do that again and I won’t care if I perish as well.”

Ouranos shot a baleful look in her direction before spitting to the side. "Tsk… I’ve been forewarned you’d be too hot to handle, but since Destiny had decided to condemn us to eternal misery, I was hoping that at least the mate bond could have calmed that infamous temper of yours. Evidently, I am being punished by the deity of fates. The earth goddess would have been a much better match for me. Instead, I am stuck with… you." He spoke the last word as if he was so offended and even disgusted.

“Excuse me!?” She straightened up. "Let's get one thing clear. I never asked to be mated to you, so don’t act like you’re the only victim here! And Destiny can stick the mate bond up her a$$, because I will not bow down to her will. I have a mind of my own and I will choose my own mate! And you will definitely not be the one!"

Ouranos smirked, amused. "So young, so naïve. You'll learn in time that defying Destiny is futile." He turned to go but halted when Deirdre growled at his condescending tone.

"Read my lips! I. DON'T. WANT. YOU. I. DON'T. NEED. YOU! I'm not interested in having a fated mate so stay away from me!"

The sky god's eyes turned even colder and his smirk became a sneer. "With pleasure."

.

(back to the present)

"...unless, of course, you're worried that YOU might not want to let ME go anymore… after one kiss." David continues to tease her.

She doesn't answer, still lost in the bitter memory of a love that never had a chance…

It had been wrong from the very start, despite the influence of the mate bond.

Perhaps they were both biased, furious about losing their free will.

Ouranos was the first son of Chaos. He was arrogance personified.

Deirdre was the only daughter of Light. She was proud because she knew her worth.

How could Destiny have even imagined that they would be a good match!?

David notices her silence and casts a worried glance in her direction, suddenly feeling uncertain again, fearing he has taken it too far.

"I… I was just teasing, Deirdre. We needn't do anything of the sort. I apologize if I had stepped out of line."

She looks at him, realizing only then that he has been talking to her. He looks so… sad. So miserable. It’s too bad. The man she is planning to reject is the only man who has treated her with proper respect and shown her much consideration.

If only he wasn’t her fated mate…

Deirdre no longer has the first kiss to bestow, but if she had a choice, she probably would have given it to someone like David. Kind, honorable, and considerate.

Someone who deserves it.

She takes a deep breath. "Find a place to park where we won't get disturbed or arrested for engaging in lewd acts in public."